VOP CZ, NIMR Automotive Unveil First Joint Military Vehicle

VOP CZ, NIMR Automotive Unveil First Joint Military Vehicle

VOP CZ and NIMR Automotive have selected the 14th International Defense and Security Technology Fair, (IDET) in Brno, Czech Republic, to formally debut their first military vehicle collaboration, the AJBAN 440A (photo) configured to European specifications.

Since announcing their partnership in early 2017, VOP CZ and NIMR’s design and engineering teams have worked quickly to bring this advanced platform to the European market, with successful trials already taking place in the presence of senior leadership from the Czech Armed Forces.

Addressing the work carried out by VOP CZ and NIMR this year, VOP General Manager, Mr. Marek Špok said: “The commitment being shown by both organizations to realize the collective vision of localizing NIMR’s range of military vehicles in Europe is evident with the Ajban 440A present today at IDET.”

The unveiling of the newly configured AJBAN 440A comes at a time when countries across Central and Eastern Europe are undertaking the most significant defense modernization programs of the past two decades, including the replacement of ageing, legacy platforms with proven military vehicle solutions.

Over the coming months, VOP CZ - NIMR collaborative vehicle platforms will be featured in demonstrations across Central and Eastern Europe. This partnership provides a compelling offering to the region: combat proven technologies, localized production and in situ support in Europe.

Commenting on the collaboration, NIMR CEO, Dr. Fahad Saif Harhara said: “NIMR has already developed a strong reputation for its combat-proven vehicles that can perform in the harshest operational environments. We have now integrated our platform with VOP CZ’s world-class technology that we are confident addresses NATO member countries’ needs for a military grade fleet solution, providing greater protection and longer service-life than up-armored commercial vehicles.”

NIMR is also displaying at IDET its newest vehicle line, the Rapid Intervention Vehicle (RIV). Designed to be internally transportable in a CH-47, and featuring unrivalled power-to-weight ratio along with outstanding all-terrain tactical mobility, the NIMR RIV aims to meet the increasing demands of armed forces without compromising on competitiveness. The RIV is a further example of NIMR's collaboration within Europe having been engineered by Horiba Mira in the United Kingdom and jointly developed with NIMR.

“The future to growth is through these strategic partnerships and testament to the maturity of NIMR’s platforms,” Dr. Fahad Saif Harhara concluded.

VOP CZ is a state enterprise established by the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic and its primary purpose is to fulfill the requirements of the Czech Armed Forces. It is mainly active in development, manufacture, repairs, servicing and modernization of ground military technology and it has manufactured 107 armored Pandur II vehicles for the Czech Armed Forces.

Last year, VOP CZ celebrated the 70th anniversary of its existence. Today it employs over 850 people and in 2016 it generated over CZK 1.3 billion in revenue.

NIMR Automotive, a subsidiary of the Emirates Defense Industry Company (EDIC) delivers highly capable wheeled military vehicles that are designed for the harshest environments, across a diverse scope of mission requirements.

NIMR’s range of desert-proven 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles are available in armored or non-armored configurations, with modular configurable crew capacity and payload, where protection and mobility is the focus of our design activities.

Through engineering innovation, comprehensive testing and implementation of the highest standards in design and manufacturing NIMR provides exceptional vehicle reliability and best-in-class desert performance to ensure the protection of the vehicle crews that use them.